At this year's Woodward Dream Cruise, downtown Pontiac promises to be a hotbed of guttural exhausts, chirping tires and dazzling chrome.

Classic car shows, a motorcycle cruise, car cruise and entertainment will cater to gearheads visiting downtown Pontiac, which has seen a influx of new businesses, residents and investment in recent years.

"We want to promote all the businesses," said Pastor Douglas Jones of Welcome Missionary Baptist Church, who is president of the nonprofit Greater Pontiac Community Coalition.

Attendance at the 2012 Woodward Dream Cruise, which extends from Ferndale to Pontiac, was estimated at 1.3 million people by the Oakland County Sheriff's Office. Of those people, one out of four is a visitor to metro Detroit, and the Woodward Dream Cruise's economic impact in metro Detroit has been estimated at more than $50 million.

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The 17th Annual Oakland Press Cruizin' Car Show will be held beginning at 11 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 16 and beginning at 7 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 17 in Lot 9, which is bounded by Saginaw Street, Pike Street, Woodward Avenue and Orchard Lake Road. About a half-dozen classic car clubs have registered to park in downtown Pontiac during the Dream Cruise.

Thirty "best of show" jackets and plaques will be awarded to entrants this year between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Aug. 17. The first 1,000 preregistered cruisers will receive an official 2013 Woodward Dream Cruise poster on Friday, and on cruise day, an Oakland Press Chief Pontiac hat pin.

"The Oakland Press has been a major contributor and sponsor for what we do in Pontiac, and to the Woodward Dream Cruise," Jones said.

At 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 16, a motorcycle cruise begins at Lafayette Market, goes to St. Joseph Mercy Oakland and returns downtown. The cruise, which has a $20 entry fee, benefits the Fallen Heroes Memorial Foundation, a nonprofit veterans' organization. Interested motorcyclists can preregister by calling 248-335-8740, or register onsite at Lafayette Market, located at 154 N. Saginaw St.

At 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 17, a free Pontiac Classic Car Cruise meets at Saginaw and Judson and will "make the loop."

Live entertainment is planned across downtown at locations such as Hidden River Park, Downtown 51 Grill, Lafayette Market, and the intersections of Huron and Woodward, as well as Woodward and Lawrence. Disc jockeys also will play from three different locations. Entertainers include jazz artist Phil Denny & Trio, who is performing at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 16 at Hidden River Park.

Lot 9, the site of the Oakland Press Cruizin' Car Show, was recently purchased from the city by Waterford Township-based WarCo Holdings, Inc. for $850,000 in June.

The company "will be working on beautification" of the 6.8-acre lot, including landscaping, surface cleaning and surface patching, "as well as working in conjunction with the Dream Cruise planners to boost a successful event," said Jennifer Benedict, community relations director for WarCo.

On the day of the cruise, 104.3 WOMC will broadcast from a tower at Pike and Woodward.

Dream Cruise programming at Lafayette Market includes live music on Friday night and all day Saturday, a classic car park on Friday evening, and a classic car show on Saturday.

Food and refreshments will be available, and the market is planning prizes, raffles and giveaways. Activities for children are also planned, including a bounce house, ice cream cart, popcorn, face painting, snow cones and water balloons.

Jones is a past president of the Woodward Dream Cruise, Inc. He said that even during the 2003 Northeast Blackout, "people were there. It's a family event."

Pontiac is a safe, progressive city, Jones said, and has impressive architecture, art galleries and attractions. The Dream Cruise allows visitors "to see what we have," he said.

Once Pontiac was included in the Woodward Dream Cruise, "we upgraded the entertainment and the offerings," Jones said. "Pontiac looks to return to that as we head toward our 20th year in the Dream Cruise."

To register for the 17th Annual Oakland Press Cruizin' Car Show, email joe.hildebrand@oakpress.com to request a registration form, call 248-335-8740 or register in person at Welcome Missionary Baptist Church, 143 Oneida Street in Pontiac. The registration fee is $35 for both Friday, Aug. 16 and Saturday, Aug. 17. Cruisers also can register in person at the car show.

Both car show entrants and spectators wishing to park in Lot 9 can enter the lot at Saginaw and Water. Because of street closures, cruisers must turn onto Water Street from northbound Woodward Avenue.